Bradley to join Hastings commission

HASTINGS -- It took a call from her fifth grade teacher to prompt the one and only candidate for a seat on the town commission to run.

Jeannette Bradley, an eight-year resident of this rural southwestern St. Johns County town, will be sworn into office Jan. 31 at a continued meeting of the Hastings Town Commission. Her first meeting will be Feb. 13.

There was a slight glitch in the election process. For the first time, a qualifying fee was required. That meant Bradley, 54, had to open a campaign account (personal checks are not allowed) and write a check to the town for $6. That's one percent of what a commissioner makes and one percent is what the state election laws require in order to run.

Town clerk Shelby Jack said last year that commissioners began receiving a salary of $50 a meeting, or $600 a year. Several people had been expected to run for the seat and there was speculation the new requirement may have kept some from seeking office because of the short time available to set up the needed account.

The Supervisor of Elections office apparently only learned this week of the salary, which activated the qualifying fee requirement.

Town Attorney Ron Brown said Friday that the salary information had "just escaped communication".

Brown said the qualifying fee would not make a difference in the outcome of the October elections of Frank Sladish and Tom Ward. They were the only two to sign up for the three seats open. Because not enough candidates signed up, the second election was called.

"The time to challenge an election has passed. After 10 days it's deemed valid if there have been no challenges," said Brown.

Bradley was running for the seat formerly held by Deborah Cata who did not seek re-election.

"My fifth grade teacher told me I needed to do it," said Bradley Friday. Retired teacher Netha Westbrook Durrell had called her former pupil and urged her to run.

"There are so many issues facing Hastings right now. The majority of them have to do with growth. I don't want to see Hastings disappear. I don't want to see it be swallowed up," said Bradley, who is a native of St. Johns County.

She is the personnel director of The St. Augustine Record. She is married and has two daughters and a son.